The struggling New York Mets have already seemingly given up on contending moving forward this season. Late Thursday night gave us the first indication of that when they moved former All-Star closer David Robertson to the Miami Marlins, the team directly ahead of them in the NL East standings.
While it’s unknown whether big-name Mets players will be moved ahead of the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline, we’re hearing about two veterans that can help other teams.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, outfielders Tommy Pham and Mark Canha are the next two players likely to be moved from New York.
The Mets enter their weekend series against the Washington Nationals seven games out of the final wild card spot in the National League. They have to jump five teams in order to earn a spot in the postseason. That includes the very same Marlins squad New York dealt Robertson to Thursday night.
Related: Why the New York Mets won’t be making headlines at 2023 MLB trade deadline
New York Mets record: 48-54, 4th place in the National League East
Neither Canha nor Pham are game changers in the truest sense of the term. The former is hitting .242 with a .718 OPS on the campaign. Though, he can play multiple outfield positions and has an ability to platoon at first base.
As for Pham, the veteran boasts a .266 average with an .813 OPS while tallying nine homers and 35 RBI on the campaign. The righty is hitting better against left-handed pitchers (.851 OPS) compared to right-handed counterparts (.788 OPS).
As with the aforementioned Robertson, Pham is slated to hit free agency in the winter. He’s likely to be moved before Canha.
For the New York Mets, there’s a larger question in play. Will they move high-priced starters Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer ahead of the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline? While there were initial indications that neither would be moved, teams believe Verlander could be traded with one American League contender seen as the frontrunner.
For owner Steve Cohen and Co., the 2023 season has been a disaster. None of this means New York is going to blow it all up. Rather, trading impending free agents and from the margins of its roster seems to make the most sense right now. We shall see how this unfolds in the coming days leading up to Tuesday’s deadline.